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HISTORY OF JAINA MONACHISM
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(iv) The practice of dividing a congregation of monks into various units like the Sakhäs, Kulas, Ganas and Sambhogas seems to have been at least as old as the second century B.C. It is possible that it may go back even further.
(v) Even though the Kalpasūtra does not refer to any sambhogas with particular designations, the Mathurā inscriptions do so.
(vi) No gacchas are referred to, except the ‘ullagaccha' which is a 'Kula' of Uddeha Gana.
This tendency of starting branches after personal and regional basis, however, is seen to have played an important part later on in the formation of the Gacchas.
The gacchas, as we shall see presently, took the place of the gañas, even though some of the later gacchas themselves were designated both a gaña as well as a gaccha.
The sambhogas, however, seem to have been completely wiped out as later epigraphs fail to reveal their existence.40
With the shifting of the centre of activity of Jaina monachism from Mathura towards Gujarat and Rajputana, we see a tremendous rise in the number of gacchas. Naturally many of them originated in these regions.
It may be noted that the rise of the gacchas is traditionally attributed to the disciples of Uddyotanasūri in about the 10th century of the Christian era.41 It is said that the eighty-four gacchas arose with these disciples. But the number far exceeds the traditional list. It may mean, therefore, that the number eighty-four is simply a traditional figure, or that in the life-time of the originators of these gacchas there were only eighty-four units which later on seem to have increased after the names of places and persons.
The following gacchas are referred to in the Post-Mathura period: ACARAJA:
Mentioned in an epigraph of V. S. 1923, from Jaisalmer. 12 AGAMA,—also °IKA:
It was started by Sīlaguņasūri and Devabhadrasūri from the original Añcala gaccha, in 1250 V. S.
40. 'Sambhoga' or 'bhoga' as a territorial unit occurs in 6th-7th century inscriptions of Gujarat. This also shows that the word was used in the sense of a unit, perhaps in early times.
41. LA. XI, p. 248. 42. NAHAR, III, 2445.
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